| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000. |
| |
| off |
| |
| PRONUNCIATION: |  ôf,  f |
| ADVERB: | 1. From a place or position: drove off. 2a. At a certain distance in space or time: a mile off; a week off. b. From a given course or route; aside: swerved off into a ditch. c. Into a state of unconsciousness: I must have dozed off. 3a. So as to be no longer on, attached, or connected: shaved off his mustache. b. So as to be divided: marked off the playing field by yards. 4. So as to be no longer continuing, operating, or functioning: switched off the radio. 5. So as to be completely removed, finished, or eliminated: kill off the mice. 6. So as to be smaller, fewer, or less: Sales dropped off. 7. So as to be away from work or duty: They took a day off. 8. Offstage. | | ADJECTIVE: | 1a. Distant or removed; farther: the off side of the barn. b. Remote; slim: stopped by on the off chance that they're home. 2. Not on, attached, or connected: with my shoes off. 3. Not operating or operational: The oven is off. 4. No longer taking place; canceled: The wedding is off. 5. Slack: Production was off this year. 6a. Not up to standard; below a normal or satisfactory level: Your pitching is off today. b. Not accurate; incorrect: Your statistical results are off. c. Somewhat crazy; eccentric: I think that person is a little off. 7. Started on the way; going: I'm off to see the president. 8a. Absent or away from work or duty: She's off every Tuesday. b. Spent away from work or duty: My off day is Saturday. 9a. Being on the right side of an animal or vehicle. b. Being the animal or vehicle on the right. 10. Nautical Farthest from the shore; seaward. 11. Sports Toward or designating the side of the field facing the batsman in cricket. 12. Off-color. | | PREPOSITION: | 1. So as to be removed or distant from: The bird hopped off the branch. 2. Away or relieved from: off duty. 3a. By consuming: living off locusts and honey. b. With the means provided by: living off my pension. c. Informal From: “What else do you want off me?” (Jimmy Breslin). 4. Extending or branching out from: an artery off the heart. 5. Not up to the usual standard of: off his game. 6. So as to abstain from: went off narcotics. 7. Nautical To seaward of: a mile off Sandy Hook. | | VERB: | Inflected forms: offed, off·ing, offs
| | INTRANSITIVE VERB: | To go away; leave: Off or I'll call the police. | | TRANSITIVE VERB: | Slang To murder. | | IDIOM: | off and on In an intermittent manner: slept off and on last night. | | ETYMOLOGY: | Variant of Middle English of, from Old English. See apo- in Appendix I. | | USAGE NOTE: | The compound preposition off of is generally regarded as informal and is best avoided in formal speech and writing: He stepped off (not off of) the platform. Off is informal as well when used to indicate a source: formal style requires I borrowed it from (not off) my brother.
| | |
| |
| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by the Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. |
|
|
